Someone you met online gained your emotional trust, then asked you to send crypto to a FixedFloat swap address — "investment," "business," "emergency." FixedFloat is a non-custodial crypto swap service specializing in Lightning Network (Bitcoin) and on-chain swaps. Like Changelly, FixedFloat doesn't hold user funds — but it records IP addresses, device fingerprints, and destination addresses. We trace your transfers through FixedFloat to the final destination wallet.
In a FixedFloat romance scam, the scammer builds emotional trust through dating apps, social media, or messaging platforms. They declare love, plan a future together, and create urgency around financial needs. The requests start small and escalate over months to tens of thousands of euros. Each transfer goes to a FixedFloat deposit address the scammer controls.
Why scammers use FixedFloat for romance scams: FixedFloat specializes in Lightning Network swaps — instant Bitcoin transfers through the Lightning Network. If the scammer asked you to send BTC to a FixedFloat Lightning address, the swap may be nearly instant (seconds), making the 24-hour refund window irrelevant. However, FixedFloat records the destination on-chain address, IP, and device fingerprint. The Lightning Network creates a different tracing challenge — but the destination is still identifiable.
The "Lightning instant swap" pattern: A common FixedFloat romance scam involves the scammer asking you to send BTC to a FixedFloat Lightning address. They claim they "need BTC on the Lightning Network for fast payments" or "a business deal that only works on Lightning." FixedFloat processes the swap in seconds and sends the BTC to the scammer's destination on-chain wallet. The speed of Lightning means the funds are gone almost instantly — but FixedFloat has the destination address and IP records.
Regulatory structure: FixedFloat is operated by a team based in Estonia and Panama. FixedFloat is not formally regulated — it operates as a non-custodial swap service. Response times: 5-14 business days. FixedFloat is moderately responsive — it has no regulatory oversight but cooperates with law enforcement when presented with a police report.
Freeze capability: FixedFloat cannot freeze funds (non-custodial) — but it CAN provide the destination address, IP records, and device fingerprint of the swap creator. Requires a police report or court order. Response: 5-14 business days. FixedFloat cannot reverse swaps (no 24-hour refund window like Changelly) — but the destination address is traceable.
KYC disclosure: FixedFloat discloses swap creator information to law enforcement or through a court order. FixedFloat records IP address, device fingerprint, and (for larger swaps) KYC. For very large swaps, FixedFloat may require email verification. The scammer's IP and device are on file — even without KYC.
The Lightning Network tracing challenge: If the scammer received BTC through the Lightning Network, the on-chain trail is different from regular BTC transfers. Lightning payments are off-chain — they don't appear on the Bitcoin blockchain. However, the scammer must eventually close their Lightning channel and settle on-chain. We monitor the Lightning channel close transactions and trace the on-chain settlement. FixedFloat provides the destination on-chain address, which is the key to tracing.
The IP and device fingerprint: Even without KYC, FixedFloat records the IP address and device fingerprint of every swap creator. We use the IP address to identify the scammer's approximate location and ISP. Combined with the destination on-chain address, this provides enough information to file a police report and coordinate with the ISP for identity disclosure.
A client met someone on a dating app who claimed to be a software engineer in Estonia. Over 3 months, the "engineer" sent daily messages and talked about their future together. The requests started with €8,000 for "a business deal that needed BTC on the Lightning Network." The scammer asked the client to send BTC to a FixedFloat Lightning swap address — FixedFloat would swap and send to the scammer's destination wallet. Then €12,000 for "another Lightning deal." Over 3 months, the client sent 5 transfers totaling €35,000 in BTC to FixedFloat swap addresses.
Our response: We traced all transfers to the same FixedFloat deposit address. We filed a police report and submitted a legal request to FixedFloat's compliance team alongside the blockchain tracing report.
Outcome: 20% recovery (€7,000 of €35,000). FixedFloat provided the destination on-chain addresses and IP records within 8 business days. The IP address was a VPN (Netherlands) — but the device fingerprint was consistent across all 5 swaps. We traced the destination addresses: 3 went to an Electrum personal wallet, 2 went to a Binance deposit address. We filed a freeze request with Binance and recovered €7,000. The Electrum wallet funds (€28,000) had been withdrawn — we are monitoring for future movement. Lower recovery due to Lightning's instant nature (no refund window) and the use of a personal wallet for most funds.
Details anonymized to protect client confidentiality. Swiss professional secrecy applies.
How is a romance scam different from pig butchering? Romance scams involve direct requests for money. Pig butchering introduces a fake investment platform. See pig butchering on FixedFloat →
Warning: After a romance scam, fake "recovery services" may contact you. Read our recovery scam warning.
Fundamentally different: FixedFloat is a non-custodial swap service — it doesn't hold user accounts or balances. The scammer uses FixedFloat to swap your crypto (often through the Lightning Network) before withdrawing. Recovery is harder (no account to freeze) and Lightning swaps are instant (no 24-hour refund window like Changelly). However, FixedFloat provides the destination address and IP/device records. Recovery rates are 25-45%, lower than Binance.
Lightning Network payments are off-chain — they don't appear on the Bitcoin blockchain. The swap is instant (seconds). However, the scammer must eventually close their Lightning channel and settle on-chain. We monitor the channel close transactions and trace the on-chain settlement. FixedFloat provides the destination on-chain address, which is the key to tracing. Lightning tracing is harder than regular BTC tracing but not impossible.
We trace through FixedFloat to the destination on-chain address. FixedFloat provides the destination address, IP records, and device fingerprint. We then trace the destination address on-chain and file freeze requests with whatever exchange holds it. If the destination is a personal wallet (like Electrum), we monitor for future movement — when the scammer eventually sends to an exchange to cash out, we file a freeze request there.
A VPN masks the real IP address, making direct identification harder. However, FixedFloat records the device fingerprint — a unique identifier based on browser/device characteristics. If the scammer made multiple swaps, the device fingerprint is consistent. We also trace the destination on-chain address, which may lead to an exchange with KYC. The VPN makes IP-based identification harder, but the on-chain trace and device fingerprint provide alternative identification paths.
No. Unlike Changelly's 24-hour refund window, FixedFloat does not offer a refund window for completed swaps — especially Lightning swaps, which are instant. Once the swap is completed, the funds are at the destination address. This makes speed less critical for FixedFloat cases (there's no refund window to catch) but makes the destination address trace more important. We focus on tracing the destination and filing freeze requests there.
5-14 business days. FixedFloat is not formally regulated but cooperates with law enforcement when presented with a police report. FixedFloat provides destination addresses, IP records, and device fingerprints. Moderate response — faster than MEXC (10-30 days) but slower than Binance (3-7 days). For FixedFloat romance scam cases, we focus on the destination address trace rather than freezing funds on FixedFloat (which doesn't hold them).
Describe what happened. Include the scammer's profile, chat evidence, FixedFloat deposit addresses, transaction hashes, and total amount lost. We respond within 6 hours.